The 10th session of the General Assembly of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) will convene in central Rome, Italy May 27-29, 2010.

Sen. Emma Bonino, Vice President of the Italian Senate will welcome guests and participants, and the session will be opened  by the current UNPO President Mr Ledum Mittee from Member Ogoni and UNPO General Secretary Marino Busdachin. Distinguished guest former MEP Marco Pannella, Leader of the Non-Violent Radical Party, will speak on the opening panel alongside Ms Louisa Cohen Greve from the National Endowment for Democracy and Sen. Marco Perduca.

The General Assembly is the highest decision making body of UNPO and provides the foundation for the Member-led structure of the Organization.  More than 60 Member delegates from at least 27 UNPO Members representing indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognized territories from around the world will come together to participate in what is set to be a highly political event.

During the Assembly, the policies and priorities of UNPO will be set, Resolutions will be discussed and a new President and Presidency of the Organization will be elected. The theme, “Developing Democracy,” will resonate throughout, as delegates discuss how to promote their participation in political structures, as well as improve democratic structures inherent to their own organizations and institutions.

Members will submit statements or Resolutions for consideration by the General Assembly to seek support from the Organization’s network on region-specific concerns or thematic topics in pursuit of aims to promote their human and cultural rights, to preserve their environments, and to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts which affect them. Resolutions have been submitted on the topics of the Georgian policy towards Abkhazia; the right to self determination for the Afrikaner people of South Africa; a call for Iraq to recognize Assyrians as an indigenous people; solutions to the conflict in Cabinda, Angola; the right of Circassians to return to their homeland; recognition of the deportation of Crimean Tatars from their homeland in Ukraine and condemnation of the repression of Southern Azerbaijanis in Iran.

Delegates will have the opportunity to take part in the General Council of the Nonviolent Radical Party, scheduled to take place at the Italian Senate in Rome from 28th-30th May. Alongside the General Assembly, a series of side events will also take place including an Interfaith candle light vigil on Piazza Navona recognizing obstacles that Member communities face elsewhere in exercising their freedom of religion (Friday May 28) and a cultural evening to celebrate the wide cultural diversity of the Members (Saturday May 29).

For more information contact Ms. Matilda Flemming [email protected] or +31 70 36 46 504 at the UNPO Secretariat in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Note to Editors

UNPO

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is an international, nonviolent, and democratic membership organization. Its members are indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognized or occupied territories who have joined together to protect and promote their human and cultural rights, to preserve their environments, and to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts which affect them.

Nonviolent Radical Party, transnational and transparty

An association of citizens, parliamentarians and members of government of various national and political backgrounds who intend to achieve, through nonviolent Gandhian methods, a number of concrete objectives aimed at creating an effective body of international law with respect for individuals and the affirmation of democracy and freedom throughout the world

Delegations

Delegates from the following Members have registered for the Assembly: Abkhazia, Afrikaner, Assyria, Balochistan, Cabinda, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Circassia, Crimean Tatars, East Turkestan, Gilgit Baltistan, Hmong, Hungarians in Romania, Inner Mongolia, Iranian Kurdistan, Khmer Krom, Mapuche, Montagnard, Ogaden, Ogoni, Scania, Sindh, Southern Azerbaijan, Southern Cameroon, Taiwan, Tibet, West Balochistan and Zanzibar.

Venues

At the kind invitation of Senator Marco Perduca and the President of the Nonviolent Radical Party transnational and transparty Marco Pannella, the Assembly will take place in the Italian Senate and in the premises of the Nonviolent Radical Party.

For a copy of the press release in English click here

Decima Assemblea Generale 2010 "Sviluppare la Democrazia"
Giovedì 27 Maggio, conferenza presso la Libreria del Senato, Piazza Madama
Venerdì – Sabato 28-29 Maggio 2010
(Partito Radicale, Via di Torre Argentina 76)
Roma - L’Aia, 17 maggio 2010

La sessione sarà inaugurata dalla vice presidente del Senato Emma Bonino, dal Presidente dell'UNPO Ledum Mittee, in rappresentanza del popolo nigeriano degli Ogoni e dal Segretario Generale dell'organizzazione Marino Busdachin. Nel corso dell'evento sono anche previsti gli interventi di Marco Pannella, leader del Partito Radicale Non Violento, di altri parlamentari e di Louisa Cohen Greve del National Endowment for Democracy.

Sono previsti più di sessanta delegati provenienti da almeno ventisette Membri dell'UNPO in rappresentanza di popoli indigeni, minoranze, e territori non riconosciuti da tutto il mondo. Scopo dell'incontro sarà anche definire le priorità, discutere le Risoluzioni e rinnovare le cariche del Presidente e nonché i membri della Presidenza dell’Organizzazione. Il tema principale “Sviluppare la Democrazia” sarà al centro dell'incontro analizzato durante tutto il corso dell’Assemblea, i delegati discuteranno come promuovere la loro partecipazione presso strutture politiche e come migliorare le infrastrutture democratiche inerenti alle loro stesse organizzazioni e istituzioni.

I delegati dell'UNPO parteciperanno poi al Consiglio Generale del Partito Radicale Nonviolento, previsto dal 28 al 30 maggio sempre a Roma.

Insieme all’Assemblea, si terranno inoltre una serie di altri eventi  tra cui una veglia con candele in Piazza Navona, in cui i membri di UNPO produrranno un manifesto per la libertà di religione (Venerdì 28 maggio) ed una serata culturale per celebrate l’ampia varietà culturale dei membri (Sabato 29 maggio).

Per ulteriori informazioni contattare Matilda Flemming, [email protected]

For a copy of the Press Release in Italian please click here